A Promise of Fire (The Kingmaker Trilogy)

I'm really liking Amanda's writing and the worlds she creates. I can't seem to put her stories down. The score of 4 is die to some repetitiveness of the main character's close calls to death; it seems like there could be more creative ways to bring her and the love interest together than the multiple near-death experiences on both their parts. The lack of consent in the steamy scenes is a bit concerning, as her whole relationship could be seen as a ...that term for when you fall in love with your captors Syndrome. The heat metaphor is good, but also overused.

Loved Cat - she really kicks butt. She is snarky and funny. The cast of characters great as well. Not a cliffhanger per se; but not a full HEA either. More of a happy for now. Lots of unanswered questions . I am buying#2 right after I finish typing this!

The characters of this book were awesomely thought up and I simply devoured it! The story line in amazing and I felt true emotion in many parts of the story. This book grabbed a hold of me and kept me entertained and entralled. I would recommend this book to fans of Greek mythology and epic adventures. It was hard to put down and return to my world.

Loved the heroine, the chemistry betwixt all characters, the beautiful evolution of romance, and the integration of Greek mythology. This has become one of my new favorite books and I am definitely excited to read other works by Amanda Bouche... if you heart romance and fantasy/adventure, you're sure to enjoy this read!

A couple of authors I read recommended this book, and I'm so glad I checked it out. It was a great read! I highly recommend it if you're looking for something new, fun, sweet, sexy, and completely engrossing.

Not bogged down by overwhelming detail and an overly complicated plot. Still awesome. More NA than YA thanks to tasteful but intense bedroom scenes. Romance, magic, warriors, and a strong (but understandably flawed) female character with a kick-butt destiny. On to book2!

A good combination of fantasy, adventure and romance. My first Amanda Bouchet book but I've already pre-ordered the next installment. Love the allusions to Greek mythology, a strong heroine, solid leading man, and I can't wait to find out what happens.

If you like reading SF romance, you can recognize certain common plots. They can be great as well. But this series has an imaginative plot and world, such appealing characters, and wonderful writing. It stands out in its field.

What an excellently creative story! I absolutely loved everything about this. It's exciting, adventurous, mysterious, funny, sad, sexy and more. It has it all! ? I can't wait to dive into book 2 to continue Cat and Griffin's story. ?

A Promise of Fire was suggested to me by friends. What a great book and even better author. I love when a story keeps you involved and keeps you guessing. It as action, love, pain and loss. I can't wait for book #2.

An author I really like posted about this series and I have to say this series is amazing! I love the world building and the characters. I cannot wait to start the next book but I’m gonna be sad bc the 3rd doesn’t come out for months..

This was book was funny, even occasionally laugh out loud funny. The characters were well rounded, the plot held my interest throughout and now I am going to pay full price for the next book because I really want to know what happens next. Read it, you won't be disappointed.

A hero who is almost as irrelevant as Kate Dainels with maybe more magic. The action is intense and I found the court scene equally entertaining. While enemies to lovers is not my favorite theme it is well handle here. I am eager for the next book.

I loved Cat with all her flaws and insecurities. She sassy, obnoxious, funny, honest and caring. The romance between her and Griffen is awesome. He was so patient and while acted Alpha at times, we know who the boss really is. Action packed.

I don't usually review books unless they are really something special. Wow! Amazing characters and story! Action, comedy, and love....what more can you ask for? Loved it! Love Cat and Griffin! Read it!

This was an amazing epic fantasy and wonderful start to a new trilogy. Cat has fled her home after a childhood of abuse and torture and has made a new life for herself in a circus. She is a soothsayer but she had picked up a lot of other skills too. When she catches the eye of Griffin who is Beta Sinta, second in command of Sinta, he first sees her for what she can do for his country.

Cat doesn't want to leave her hiding place in the circus but he forces her to go with him. In fact, he binds her to him with a magical rope that doesn't let her get more than four feet away from him. Griffin is part of the Hoi Polloi who gathered an army of those like him and overthrew the Magoi who were previously in charge of the country. Now he faces threats from both the other Magoi in the country and from outside forces who just assume that a Hoi Polloi ruler can't keep a country.

Cat, being out of her safe hiding place, has also drawn the attention of Andromeda, the Alpha Fisa, who wants to use her skills and control her. Cat gradually displays a number of magical skills besides her soothsaying. She is the legendary Kingmaker who can tell truth from lies. She can also make herself invisible, suck magic from other magic users and gain their powers briefly, and heal from major injuries.

The worlds are controlled by the gods of the Greek pantheon and Cat is a special favorite of Poseidon who is her father. Hades and even Zeus also take an interest in her. There is some sort of prophecy that she is trying to outrun. The gods have thrown her into the path of Griffin and together they are destined to bring great changes to their world. But Cat doesn't want to trust him because she knows that Alpha Fisa will kill anyone that Cat cares about. Griffin is just as stubborn as Cat and he is determined that they will have a future together.

I can't wait to read the next two books in this trilogy. I love Cat's snarky viewpoint and her character which is a finely balanced combination of fear and strength.

I couldn't disagree more with the reviewers who think that this novel has a insipid lead character. I'm a feminist and I love the characters in this book, especially Cat. She is strong and funny. Griffin and his team love and appreciate her fire. Best book I've read in a while. I've already preordered the next book in this series.

Fast paced, nuanced characters and hot sexuality all make this a fantastic read that is hard to put down. I can't wait for the second installment of this series. As a fan of Greek Mythology, it was great to see a new take on some of the Gods and other immortal characters reworked into a unique land and new legend.

This author can really write! I read the book in one sitting. I am drawn into the world she created. The love scenes are the best and the sex sizzles while being tasteful. Makes me eager for. ..the next book.

Wow!! Awesome 1st novel!!!! Completely caught me off guard with the twists and turns. Strong characters, rich story lines, mystery, intrigue and smoking romance! Cannot WAIT for book 2!! Long live The Kingmaker Series!!!!

A surprising enjoyable read. I liked the action scenes and the character dialogue. It follows a very typical romance fantasy plot line, so it wasn't exciting or new, but I will be looking forward to the next one. Fans of Karen Marie Monings early work will enjoy this one.

This book was very exciting and already ordered the next one. The author keeps you guessing what can happen next. I recommend this book to all readers who like fantasy, but do yourself a favor even if you think you do like fantasy you will love this book.

Well I was avoiding this book because I figured I would wait until the 2nd one came out but I bought it and after all the slobbering "how great' comments and reviews I was disappointed.

Let me say the basic story is really good but I have a problem with kidnapped heroines and overbearing "heroes" that threaten her friends to make her come along peacefully. Then after all this they are supposed to fall in love so to me this extols the virtues of kidnapping and makes me think of Stockholm Syndrome.

I never do spoilers and I won't here but the heroine is so inconsistent it makes my head hurt and so is our overbearing hero. Unless there are thousands <millions?> of women out there that think being kidnapped, having your loved ones threatened and dragged around like a piece of meat is a great swoon-worthy method to win your heart. I obviously missed a lot of easy women.

The big "mystery" becomes obvious really early and so the reader knows her secret long before anyone else does and the only reason she is in danger of death is because our apelike hero kidnapped her and exposed her to the people who want to kill/capture her.

So while I did love the basic plot, I spent a lot of time wondering why she did not stab our kidnapping obnoxious hero in his sleep, she spent the majority of this book as a prisoner of sorts so making her fall for him when she really never had a choice and could not keep resistance up for 24/7 just sickened me a bit but I try to remember this is fantasy but there were a lot of better ways a good author could have done this and this Tarzan/Jane method makes this reader feel "outside looking in" rather than part of the story as really great books do.

Bottom Line: A romance that was unbelievable, a couple of characters that seem to get personality transplants somewhere past the 50% mark and since I got a peek at the first few chapters of the next book he turns into a total jerk (because if I said what he REALLY was the store would delete my review). i HATE characters that change personalities like yesterdays laundry and really good writers never do it. 3 Stars for a great basic plot and I WILL read book 2 to see what happens but I read enough to know the Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde act continues which make me think I may be reading another 3 Star novel that should have been better as this one should have been. ( NOTE: If you can completely suspend your belief system and forget reality 100% you might like this better than me)

It was a very promising beginning to a series and there was certainly some very enjoyable aspects to this story but some somewhat troubling ones as well.

WARNING: Slightly spoiler-y

First of all, I devoured this book. It was hard to put down. The world building was great and it was very easy to get emotionally invested. I had a minor gripe about the heroine meeting the hero before the author had a chance to establish the main character's personality. But after that I became completely absorbed.

In fact, I was so absorbed that it wasn't until I read the whole book that I noticed that I couldn't remember when exactly the kidnapper's character was redeemed. It certainly wasn't until near the end of the book when Griffin gave Cat her freedom back but yet by then Cat and Griffin are already discussing a permanent relationship. It wasn't quite insta-love but it did seem to happen rather quickly. So we're supposed to believe that Cat can just "get over" being kidnapped and held prisoner (first physically and then by being manipulated into magically binding herself to Griffin until death do they part) enough to fall in love with her captor without some significant demonstration of some redeeming quality. One of the characters even says, "You'll get over it" as if that's a reasonable expectation. Griffin's family and team consistently invalidates Cat's very legitimate concerns and gaslights the heroine into feeling like she's being unreasonable in being upset about having her freedom/autonomy taken from her. I can see where some reviewers are mentioning Stockholm Syndrome because I feel like Cat develops feelings for her captors before they ever demonstrate that they deserve this.

So then I started imagining how I would have preferred to resolve the kidnapping/prisoner situation with a deeper discussion or situation that presents the alpha male/kidnapper as honorable (or at least that he acknowledges that taking Cat prisoner was something that any reasonable person would be upset over and not just something to be brushed off as necessary) before the serious romantic feelings come in to play. And that's when the pace of my reread got really slow.

Then there's the part where Griffin issues that classic pushy high school boyfriend ultimatum where he insinuates that it's over unless she has sex with him and is constantly pressuring and pushing Cat's limits concerning their relationship. Needless to say I find this just a little uncomfortable.

Cat's inner voice was annoying in how much it was used throughout the book. It would have been fine as an occasional peek into Cat's thoughts but it was just relied on too much for my personal tastes.

I really like the world building and I am still curious enough about how the story progresses to get the next book but I feel like it will need a good deal more character development and a good deal less reliance on manipulation as a plot device.

I can see both sides of the argument among reviewers about weak/strong heroine, she is both. What I want to complain about is the heroine, who is so utterly naive not to realize Cat is the missing princess. Who else could she be? I kept waiting for the big reveal. It never happened.

So, it starts out great, gets boring in the middle, and picks up again at the end. Cat is constantly overestimating her ability, and some deity has to bail her out. Then, instead of writing new material, the author who had up to a point been doing not a bad job, starts to repeat major sub-plots, and we wade through exactly the same kind of near-fatal injury and recovery we just did. The dialog repeats almost word for word.

Well, it is an interesting world, and I want to see what happens. There is a sample included from the sequel. Guess what. It doesn't start with the princess reveal either. They are off in some underworld on some meaningless quest and it becomes just silly, not related to the rest of the story. I give up. I will not read the sequel.

The storyline was everything I love in my romance stories. A sarcastic sassy heroine and a rough and tuff hero. She'd fight him, he'd subdue her. She'd infuriate him, he'd rant, and she'd get more snarky. Yep, she charmed his socks off...

This story had lots of intense action that was enthralling. And, the couple was perfect together. But, I had a couple of issues with this tale. My ratings always come from the storyline and the writing style.

As I stated the action was great, but it's the only time the authors superfluous adjectives seemed necessary. I absolutely loved this coupling, but the climax (pun intended) seemed like it was never going to happen.

I went though much of the book wishing there had been an appendix to explain so many things like Magoi, I just guessed it meant magic. I went back to goodreads where I found mythology in the genre. But, even then some things didn’t make sence, like beds and heeled sandals in mythology?

There was way too much narrative. So much that between a question and the answer I had to go back to re-read what the question was. The book was 448 pages and really at least 100 pages was over stated narrative.

I didn't care for how the story ended. So again, I went back to goodreads to check out the next book. I then realized this is the author's first book. The plot was great, and the author has a talented imagination. But, I suggest she gets different cirque partners to help her decipher what is missing, or when theres too much information in the story.

I do recommend this book because these are my reading issues. And, the storyline was captivating. Good read.

It was a very promising beginning to a series and there was certainly some very enjoyable aspects to this story but some somewhat troubling ones as well.

WARNING: Slightly spoiler-y

First of all, I devoured this book. It was hard to put down. The world building was great and it was very easy to get emotionally invested. I had a minor gripe about the heroine meeting the hero before the author had a chance to establish the main character's personality. But after that I became completely absorbed.

In fact, I was so absorbed that it wasn't until I read the whole book that I noticed that I couldn't remember when exactly the kidnapper's character was redeemed. It certainly wasn't until near the end of the book when Griffin gave Cat her freedom back but yet by then Cat and Griffin are already discussing a permanent relationship. It wasn't quite insta-love but it did seem to happen rather quickly. So we're supposed to believe that Cat can just "get over" being kidnapped and held prisoner (first physically and then by being manipulated into magically binding herself to Griffin until death do they part) enough to fall in love with her captor without some significant demonstration of some redeeming quality. One of the characters even says, "You'll get over it" as if that's a reasonable expectation. Griffin's family and team consistently invalidates Cat's very legitimate concerns and gaslights the heroine into feeling like she's being unreasonable in being upset about having her freedom/autonomy taken from her. I can see where some reviewers are mentioning Stockholm Syndrome because I feel like Cat develops feelings for her captors before they ever demonstrate that they deserve this.

So then I started imagining how I would have preferred to resolve the kidnapping/prisoner situation with a deeper discussion or situation that presents the alpha male/kidnapper as honorable (or at least that he acknowledges that taking Cat prisoner was something that any reasonable person would be upset over and not just something to be brushed off as necessary) before the serious romantic feelings come in to play. And that's when the pace of my reread got really slow.

Then there's the part where Griffin issues that classic pushy high school boyfriend ultimatum where he insinuates that it's over unless she has sex with him and is constantly pressuring and pushing Cat's limits concerning their relationship. Needless to say I find this just a little uncomfortable.

Cat's inner voice was annoying in how much it was used throughout the book. It would have been fine as an occasional peek into Cat's thoughts but it was just relied on too much for my personal tastes.

I really like the world building and I am still curious enough about how the story progresses to get the next book but I feel like it will need a good deal more character development and a good deal less reliance on manipulation as a plot device.

I can see both sides of the argument among reviewers about weak/strong heroine, she is both. What I want to complain about is the heroine, who is so utterly naive not to realize Cat is the missing princess. Who else could she be? I kept waiting for the big reveal. It never happened.

So, it starts out great, gets boring in the middle, and picks up again at the end. Cat is constantly overestimating her ability, and some deity has to bail her out. Then, instead of writing new material, the author who had up to a point been doing not a bad job, starts to repeat major sub-plots, and we wade through exactly the same kind of near-fatal injury and recovery we just did. The dialog repeats almost word for word.

Well, it is an interesting world, and I want to see what happens. There is a sample included from the sequel. Guess what. It doesn't start with the princess reveal either. They are off in some underworld on some meaningless quest and it becomes just silly, not related to the rest of the story. I give up. I will not read the sequel.

The storyline was everything I love in my romance stories. A sarcastic sassy heroine and a rough and tuff hero. She'd fight him, he'd subdue her. She'd infuriate him, he'd rant, and she'd get more snarky. Yep, she charmed his socks off...

This story had lots of intense action that was enthralling. And, the couple was perfect together. But, I had a couple of issues with this tale. My ratings always come from the storyline and the writing style.

As I stated the action was great, but it's the only time the authors superfluous adjectives seemed necessary. I absolutely loved this coupling, but the climax (pun intended) seemed like it was never going to happen.

I went though much of the book wishing there had been an appendix to explain so many things like Magoi, I just guessed it meant magic. I went back to goodreads where I found mythology in the genre. But, even then some things didn’t make sence, like beds and heeled sandals in mythology?

There was way too much narrative. So much that between a question and the answer I had to go back to re-read what the question was. The book was 448 pages and really at least 100 pages was over stated narrative.

I didn't care for how the story ended. So again, I went back to goodreads to check out the next book. I then realized this is the author's first book. The plot was great, and the author has a talented imagination. But, I suggest she gets different cirque partners to help her decipher what is missing, or when theres too much information in the story.

I do recommend this book because these are my reading issues. And, the storyline was captivating. Good read.

I really enjoyed this book and am waiting for the second one to be published! I liked all of the characters - we know just enough about them to like them, but not so much that we can guess their every move. I truly enjoyed this book!